


we've been walled up for far too long

by toastedbagel



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: F/F, Like Mild Angst, genn is an idiot, medium burn?, no one can be ooc if blizzard never gave them characterization in the first place, wanna say this is post-mop and pre-legion but i hate wod, we love a good rarepair
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-03-07 10:57:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18871816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toastedbagel/pseuds/toastedbagel
Summary: Genn summons Tess to Stormwind with the hopes of securing an engagement with Prince Anduin.  To make her feel more at home, he assigns Commander Lorna Crowley to protect her during her stay. What's better than Gilnean gals being Gilnean pals?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok I don't write super often so this is uh....rusty. Sometimes you gotta write the gay you wanna see in the world.

Tess had never been to Stormwind before, but it certainly didn’t take long for her to realize she would hate it. Gilneas City was easy to hide in, with the perpetual fog and dark, twisting alleys. Stormwind’s blazing sunlight and white quartz....everything made her feel exposed. Living in Darnassus was a lot closer to roughing it than Tess was accustomed to, but at least it was quiet. 

Of course, the welcome party didn’t exactly make it any easier. Tess had known she’d be in for it when her father had summoned her from Darnassus, but the six soldiers he’d sent to escort her the short distance from the harbor to the keep seemed excessive. One of them stepped to the front of the group and bowed.

“Welcome to Stormwind, my lady” he offered. “I hope your voyage was peaceful.”

Tess suppressed a wince looking at six sets of bright white armor in the sun. “It was quite alright, thank you”, she responded with a curtsy. “Shall we be off, then?”

The captain nodded, and Tess hitched up her skirts and disembarked the small elven ship she’d arrived on. He hadn’t offered her his name, and none of the rest of them seemed willing to make conversation as they slowly wound their way through the city. It was nearing the afternoon on a Sunday, and people flooded the streets. Adventurers in gleaming armor and with less-than-gleaming weapons conversed, vendors hawked their wares, and children ran through and around it all. They all made way for soldiers encircling Tess easily enough, though. It was attracting far too much attention than she would have liked. How delicate did her father think she was, that she would not be able to manage the short walk without six swords to defend her? The amount of eyes their procession caught seemed to echo that question. 

Tess pulled at the high collar of her dress. Stormwind was in full summer, and the wool she’d favored in Gilneas and Darnassus clearly wasn’t going to be optimal here. Everyone in the city seemed to be going brighter and lighter with their wardrobe. She wondered how the guards could stand to be wearing such full armor in the heat, especially with everyone else dressing far less conservatively than people did in Gilneas. By the time they crossed the drawbridge to the keep, her hair was sticking to the back of her neck with sweat. This would not do. 

At the top of the stairs, just before the entrance to the keep, the guards stopped. The captain stepped out of the front, bowed again, and gestured into the hall. “They’re waiting for you in the throne room, princess.”

She almost asked who “they” were, thought better of it, and nodded her thanks. The keep was significantly cooler, and since the guards had waited at the door, significantly quieter. She took a deep breath, trying to savor the few seconds of peace, and walked up the hallway. 

Gilneas had no official throne, no palace save her family’s manor, but Stormwind clearly favored opulence. The empty throne loomed over the already large room. No surprise, the king had better things to do than welcome visitors. The room was lined with guards in that same garish armor. Quite excessive considering how there were only three people present. Her father, currently occupied in conversation with a woman in Gilnean battle dress leaning on a shotgun, and a clearly-uncomfortable teenager standing by the opposite arm of the throne. As Tess walked in, her father turned towards the young man and cleared his throat. 

“Prince Anduin, may I present to you my daughter, Princess Tess Greymane of Gilneas.” Fanfare didn’t suit her father’s voice very well at all, but he was making a valiant effort nonetheless. 

Tess curtsied as Anduin strode forward. “It’s nice to finally meet you, princess. Your father speaks of you often,” he said through a diplomatic smile. 

Well, that was a surprise. Her father hadn’t written or spoken to her since he had left for Stormwind himself, and the several years beforehand had made it clear he didn’t even think of Tess often. She masked her surprise and smiled back. “ The honor is mine, Prince Anduin. Your city is very beautiful.”

“I hope you find everything to your liking during your stay here,” he responded. “At the moment, I have some pressing business to attend to, but if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

Tess could feel her father’s eyes on her back during all of this, and it seemed like the price could as well. Anduin paused, seemingly unsure as to how to get out of this situation. Tess offered him her hand and he kissed it quickly and flashed a grateful smile at her, spinning on his heel and leaving through the courtyard. 

Her father cleared his throat again. “It’s good to see you, Tess.”Genn Greymane the king was never particularly kind, and Genn Greymane the father was never particularly affectionate. He made no attempt at warmth, taking Tess’s hands in his for a moment as a greeting before letting go. “How was your voyage?”

“Quite alright. Mother misses you very much. As do your people” Tess answered, looking at Genn for emphasis on that last point. 

The woman next to Genn snorted from under her helmet. Her father clearly didn’t know what to say at that, and uncomfortable silence filled the room.

“I noticed Prince Anduin mentioned I’d be staying here. When were you planning on telling me that?”

“I, erm....” Genn swallowed. “Nothing is official yet. Ties between Gilneas and Stormwind are still new, and building trust is important. It would be good for you to stay a while, get to know Stormwind and its people. And the prince. King Varian has graciously agreed-“

“And the prince?” Tess repeated, careful to keep her expression neutral. Light, for all of his wealth of emotional availability, her father was criminally bad at subtlety. Being the secondborn meant she was spared her father’s musings on heirs and succession all her life, but being his daughter, there was always the threat of being married off somewhere at Genn’s convenience hanging over her head. She was naïve to think that her father’s silence since he’d arrived in Stormwind meant she was free to live her own life. He’d clearly been planning this, albeit clumsily, for a while. 

Genn took a deep breath. “Tess. You are my only living child and my daughter.” The word daughter sounded like it had to claw its way out of his mouth. “Our people have no homeland. We buried our future with Liam. The only way for us to keep going is for everyone to do their duty, and this is yours as a lady and a princess.”

Behaving like a lady was quite a good way of getting people to leave her alone to pursue her own interests. Learning to embroider meant no one noticed how good she’d gotten with a knife. Grow enough roses, and she could hide nightshade underneath. This however, seemed like trading one cage for another. 

“So I’m to stay here, alone, befriend the prince, convince the king to betrothe us, marry the prince and have his children, and stay in bloody Stormwind for the rest of my life. You’re content to bury my future as well, then?”

“This is your future,” her father growled. “Besides, you won’t be alone. There’s many noble ladies of court for you to befriend, and you’ll be well guarded.” He gestured to the Gilnean woman at attention behind him. She immediately broke stance and whipped around to loom at him.

“Absolutely not!” she shouted in a voice Tess vaguely recognized. Not many Gilneans had the audacity to yell at the king, not one with Genn’s love of an iron fist. 

“It’s been settled,”Genn spat back. 

“You brought me here to brief you on the front! We’re finally making progress in the headlands and northern Loaderon! You’re going to pull the bloody commander out of the Liberation Front to stay in Stormwind and wait on your daughter? Do you even care about Gilneas?”

“You are a liability on the front. This is what’s best for Gilneas and I-“

“Genn!” She yelled, taking off her helmet and throwing it to the ground. Calling the king by his first name was a huge breach of protocol, Tess thought, but finally able to place that voice, she realized that wouldn’t bother Lorna Crowley at all. Lorna Crowley, with murder in her eyes and dark hair a complete mess around her shoulders. She was absolutely ruthless, and her legendary temper was definitely still intact. She fought her way out of Tess’s childhood embroidery circle and into swordfighting lessons when she was seven, fought in the Gilnean civil war at 17, and was leading the effort to reclaim Gilneas at 22. She and Liam had gotten on like a house fire before the war, and maintained a grudging respect for each other throughout. Tess had always wanted to be just like Lorna as a child, envied the freedom she’d fought for and won. Today, screaming at the king, Lorna was a force of nature, and Tess couldn’t look away. 

“Watch yourself, Crowley!” Her father roared back. “You helped Gilneas during the Crisis, but your whole bloody family would do to remember to respect your KING!” Genn’s voice was becoming more of a growl as he continued, and Tess knew he would probably lose control if this escalated further. 

She stepped between them. “Thank you, father,” she said pointedly. “Of course I’ll stay, if the Wrynns are so graciously hosting”. Genn gave her a nod and stalked out of the throne room. 

She turned to Lorna. “I’m so sorry, Lady Crowley.”

“It’s Commander Crowley now, actually. Fat lot of good that title’s got me now, though. “ Lorna pulled her hair into a ponytail and took a deep breath.

“My father thinks us pieces in the great game of chess he’s playing.”

“Not very good at chess then, is he?”

Tess snorted in a rather unladylike manner, and Lorna cracked a smile. “You know there’s no way in hell I’m calling you ‘princess,’ right? Liam was absolutely insufferable about all the titles.”

Tess’ stomach dropped a little at the mention of her brother, but she nodded. “Does that mean I get to call you Lorna, Commander?”

“We’ll see about that, Greymane.” Lorna narrowed her eyes slightly. “What am I supposed to be protecting you from, anyway?”

“I fear my father thinks me so delicate that a stiff breeze might take me. There could be bees in the rose garden, and clearly someone has to reduce them to a fine mist,” She responded, gesturing towards the shotgun.

“Heatstroke’ll take you first here in that,” Lorna said, looking up and down at the heavy dress Tess had on. For just a little too long. 

“Crowley?”

“Mm?”Lorna’s eyes snapped back up, and the tips of her ears were turning pink. “Let’s go find where you’re supposed to be staying so you can get out of that. It’s hot.”

Tess held a hand to her chest in faux-outrage. “Not even willing to buy me dinner first, then?”

Lorna rolled her eyes, scrambled to pick up the shotgun, and started down the hallway. “Come on, Greymane.”

“As you say, Crowley.” Ok, Stormwind might be liveable for a while.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *clenches fist at undeveloped lore* Reality can be whatever I want. 
> 
> In which everyone says "bloody" a lot because I was born and raised in the south and I dont know how people from Fantasy Britain talk.

“I’ve got to say, the layout of this bloody keep is far more confusing than I thought it was.” Lorna had been leading Tess around the halls of the keep for a good forty-five minutes, and they still hadn’t managed to find the room. Tess could have sworn they’d passed through this corridor before, but the blank white stone walls and floors everywhere made it impossible to be sure. She’d never been very tempestuous, but being in a strange city in unfortunate circumstances was quickly becoming frustrating. 

“Maybe if you hadn’t picked a fight, my father could have given us directions,” she snapped. 

Lorna stopped and turned around to face Tess. “What would you have done, huh? That may well have been my whole life I just lost. The command I had to fight to get. I’m a halfway decent commander, but chopping the head off an army isn’t exactly a stroke of strategic brilliance even if I weren’t. It isn’t even enough that they don’t trust me in the field, now they don’t even-” 

“What do you mean by that? From what I’ve heard, you were making good progress retaking Gilneas,” Tess asked.

“I… Don’t worry about it. Let’s keep going.”

A sore subject, then. Tess knew what it was like to not be taken seriously, but she’d always tried to use it to her advantage. Not so with Lorna, apparently. All she’d heard about the older girl growing up was about how she was a fighter. Her mother had called her a ‘ruffian who put on airs’ when she spurned etiquette and decorum for mud-wrestling and swordplay. Tess didn’t even think Lorna would have minded the names. She’d grown up to be really, really good at fighting. Both literally and metaphorically, of course. Lorna had a reputation for being stubborn and resolute in her convictions, which Tess admired. Also, despite her heavy uniform, Lorna looked like she could fistfight a mountain and come out on top, which Tess also admired. Huh. Hopefully that wasn’t going to be a problem.  
They walked in silence through the halls for a little while longer, Lorna’s boots softly clicking on the white stone floor. Lorna turned around to face Tess again. “I’d suggest we go back and ask someone where this damn room is, but I don’t think we’d be able to- Oi!”

Lorna’s eyes snapped to the end of the hallway to some poor scullery maid currently frozen in her tracks. She had short black hair tucked behind her ears, tan skin, and was clearly just trying to carry out her business. “My friend and I seem to have gotten a bit lost. Would you mind pointing us in the direction of Tess Greymane’s quarters?”

The woman eyed Lorna’s shotgun and flashed a practiced smile. “May I inquire as to who’s asking?” Something was off about her accent, and she enunciated her words very carefully.Years ago, Tess might have found that something worth reporting or at least worth telling Lorna, but times were hard and she was pretty sure whatever reasons the maid had for faking an accent were her business.

Lorna raised her eyebrows at the maid, but Tess put her arm out and stepped in front of Lorna. “I’m sorry, miss. I’m Tess Greymane. Do you know where we ought to be headed?”

Something almost imperceptible flashed over the woman’s expression before she stepped back and sank into a curtsy. “My sincerest apologies, princess! You can just follow me, we aren’t too terribly far.”

Tess smiled. “Thank you…”

“Hope,” The maid offered.

“Thank you, Hope.”

Hope led them through the twisting corridors with ease, finally stopping at a wooden door at the end next to a stained-glass window. “Your belongings have probably arrived by now, princess. Let me know if you need anything,” she gave them a quick curtsy and left. Tess watched her scurry down the hallway, making mental note to remember her just in case

“Oh, light, this is a lot,” Lorna exclaimed from inside the room. Tess walked in, bracing herself, but she still wasn’t prepared for what greeted her. Like everything else in the keep, her rooms were huge, bright white, and garishly decorated. Everything was either white, blue, or bright gold. A humongous four-poster bed loomed at one end of the room, and the other half was taken up by a small sitting room of sorts, complete with blue and gold chairs and a white stone table. Most of the walls were taken up by some complicated formation of blue silk hangings, save for a rather large map of Azeroth near the bed. A wooden door led out of the first room, which led to a smaller but equally tacky second bedroom, presumably for Lorna.

“Hell, look at this,” Lorna said, weakly gesturing at nothing in particular. “Actually, don’t, it hurts. Maybe Genn intends on making you bloody blind so you’ll marry the prince without complaining.”

Tess squeaked a little at that and swatted Lorna on the arm. “Crowley! Be nice! He seemed like…” she couldn’t think of a diplomatic way to complete the thought.

Lorna raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Erm, he seems like a perfectly nice young man?,” she finished weakly.

“He’s what, seventeen? Eighteen?”

“I’m only twenty. Besides, you heard my father, nothing is official yet. Probably because the whole thing is a pretty transparent power grab on his part.”

“Yes, it’s almost like it’s difficult to get people to trust you when you betray your alliances, beg your way back in when you need help, and then immediately try to set it up so your family will be the ones in power. Funny, that,” Lorna deadpanned.

“You’re quite right. Seeing as this situation clearly a monster of my father’s own creation, maybe he should be the one that has to marry the prince.” Lorna flashed her a toothy grin at that. Tess made a second mental note to try and see that smile more often. 

Lorna moved across the room.“So your trunk is on the bed, but seeing as how I was lured here under false pretenses and came by portal, I’ve not got anything else to wear.”

“I only packed for a few days, myself. You’re welcome to anything you find in there that you think will fit, you’re a fair bit taller than me.” A gross understatement, Tess thought, considering that Lorna had at least a solid half a foot on her.

“You wouldn’t happen to have anything with trousers, would you?” Lorna asked. When she saw Tess shake her head she winced in response. “Well, looks like we’ve got a shopping trip in our future. May as well explore the city while we’re out.”

“I’d be delighted. Haven’t been to a proper city besides Gilneas since I was a child, I’m dying to see something new.”

“That’s not uncommon for us, we all went a bit stir crazy with the wall, didn’t we?”

Tess turned slightly towards Lorna, suddenly a little sad. “I suppose we did. Come on, let’s see if we can find you something.”

It had taken a while, but they left the keep in high spirits with only minor difficulties finding their way out. Lorna looked a little awkward in an old cotton dress of Tess’ that only hit her ankles, exposing the military boots she refused to take off underneath. She’d taken her hair down, and while the black curls that rested on her back were beautiful, they did little to distract from the sword at her belt. Tess looked significantly more inconspicuous, wearing a simple grey dress and pinning her hair out of her face. 

To their mutual delight, they quickly realized the city was organized into districts by roof color similar to Gilneas City. They found the trade district easily enough, and buying clothes wasn’t as much of a hassle as Tess thought it was going to be. Lorna just walked into a a couple stores, ordered some basics (“You can get your finery later, Greymane.”), and left while only catching a few eyes. That was probably because military posture in a too-short dress with a sword wasn’t exactly inconspicuous. Or maybe it was the fact that Lorna somehow seemed to be carrying the look off anyways.

There was still plenty of sunlight left in the late afternoon, and they set out to explore the city a little more. Tess grumbled at the amount of non-native plants growing in the mage district, but she had to admire their beauty. Lorna swiped a glowing purple apple off of a nearby tree and Tess had to talk her out of eating it. Instead, Lorna tossed it into the smoldering crater that used to be the park, which had been destroyed years ago but no repair efforts had been made. Stormwind must take umbrage with stonemasons or something, Tess thought. 

While the Dwarven district and Old Town were distinctly quieter than the rest of the city, the sun still beat down on them wherever they went. Tess had to squint at the white stone buildings in the sunlight, and the openness of the whole city made her feel uneasy, like she was exposed. Despite the heat creeping towards intolerable for the two Gilneans, the people of Stormwind seemed to have no such qualms, and the streets were flooded with citizens running errands. Every time someone jostled closer to the pair, Lorna would move her right hand to rest on her sword and raise her eyebrows, and they’d scurry away. It gave them a wide berth, but it was hard for Tess to ignore the eyes on her back it was getting. 

She pushed herself up onto her toes to whisper in Lorna’s ear. “Take your hand off your sword, half of the damn city is looking at us.”

“Have we finally found a royal who doesn’t like being looked at?,” Lorna pressed her hand to her mouth in a mockery of surprise.

“Would it shock you if I said I didn’t?”

Lorna tilted her head. “Quite frankly, yes.” 

“Who exactly do you take me for, Crowley?,” Tess asked, raising her chin slightly.

Lorna blinked. “You’re a princess, aren’t you? Reserved, exceptionally good at embroidery, faints at the sight of blood, all that?”

“You know, if I hadn’t just seen you threaten my father, I’d’ve wagered you two would get along,” Tess replied icily. 

Lorna paused at that. They walked down the canal roads of Stormwind in silence, until Tess, absentmindedly looking for a quieter part of the city, ended up in front of the cathedral. 

“You know…” Lorna began hesitantly, “If it’s worth anything, the last time I was this close to a cathedral I was threatening to-”

“Shoot my father with that shotgun of yours?” Tess finished. “Liam told me about it.”

“Why? You two weren’t close.”

“No, we weren’t. It was right after Gilneas City fell. Father wanted to have you hanged for it. Liam and I managed to talk him out of it, convinced him you, and the rest of Gilneas, had been through enough. Liam was threatening to abdicate if father went through with it.”

“Oh.” Lorna swallowed, took a deep breath. “Do you want to go in? I’m sure the lovely people of Stormwind would tell you that you’re so much closer to the light in a building that’s absolutely blasting you with it from all directions. At least the one in Gilneas City is a bit more...subtle with it.”

Tess raised her eyebrows. “Are you done?”

“Greymane, look me in the eyes and tell me that building isn’t an affront to good taste.”

She looked up at the giant white spire of the cathedral, the bright yellow carpeting on the stairs, and the countless blue windows, then back at Lorna. A smirk grew on her face- she knew Tess couldn’t say anything to refute her statement.

Tess turned away from the cathedral and started to wander the courtyard. “I’ve never been much of a believer, I’m afraid”

“Really? I definitely saw you and Liam in the manor chapel back home more than once.”

“The royal family’s always been tied to the church of the light. Liam was a believer, as was my father, though he’s been less devoted since the curse.”

Lorna nodded. “What about your mother?”

“Her family followed an....older path. She converted when she married my father.”

“An old path?,” Lorna stepped back. “Like the void?”

Tess held her hands out reassuringly. “Oh, no, not at all. An older path as in celebrating the harvest, burning herbs, being in nature and all that. Don’t worry, no one’s sprouting tentacles anytime soon,” she laughed. 

“Oh, thank the light” Lorna smiled back. “If that’s your mum, what about you, then?”

“Did Liam ever tell you about what happened when I was born?”

“You were ill, right?”

“I almost died. Krennan Aranas, the royal alchemist, was trying everything, but my fever wouldn’t break. My mother prayed to the light for days. Finally she got desperate enough and brought me into the woods behind the manor. She made a vow that if I lived, she’d raise me in the old tradition as thanks. Krennan got the formula right the same day and I survived.”

“Wouldn’t that be Krennan’s tradition then? Sounds like he’s the one who saved you”.

“Hm,” Tess furrowed her brow. “Maybe, but I’d like to think it was fate as well. I always loved the old traditions, made me feel a lot closer to Gilneas than being a royal ever did.”

Lorna steered them around a corner, starting down the path back towards the keep through the graveyard. “So, the old way, huh? Can you…” Lorna gestured indecipherably at Tess. 

“Can I what?”

“You know, turn into a cat, or a tree, or-”

“No, no,” Tess laughed again. “It’s a druidic religion, but I’m not a druid. That takes formal training. One of the women of the woods, Celestine, offered to train me once when I was younger, but can you imagine what my father would have thought? He doesn’t even know I don’t follow the light, and it’s not exactly ladylike to turn into a bear.”

“He can turn into a wolf, can’t he?”

“That’s different.”

Some strange sadness ghosted over Lorna’s expression for a moment. “I suppose it is, then.”

They were back on the canal streets, having silently concurred to head back to the keep at some earlier point. The sun was finally starting to head down, making the light easier to bear but leaving behind the heat.

“Hold on,” Lorna said suddenly, eyes flashing, as she pulled Tess into a shop. “What’re your thoughts on wine?”

Tess blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden darkness. “I prefer reds, obviously.”

“Ah, a fellow woman of taste!”, Lorna exclaimed, before turning to the shopkeeper. “Can I get a bottle of Dalaran noir, please? On Genn Greymane’s honor.”

The man behind the desk eyed Lorna suspiciously, decided not to push it, and handed her the bottle. “I’ll send the bill to the keep.”

Tess looked up at Lorna through her eyelashes. “You know, for someone who doesn’t like royals, you sure are eager to spend my father’s money.”

“Which do you think is less likely, Greymane: That he’ll care or that he’ll notice at all?”

Tess shrugged. “Might, as well, then.”

As they started across the bridge to the keep, Lorna turned to Tess. “So, if you refused to be a druid, did you ever train as anything?”

Tess froze, smoothing her expression. She thought of countless hours studying with Krennan, devising the most efficient way to poison someone. Midnight sparring matches with guards she’d sworn to secrecy. The wardens in Darnassus who’d helped her learn to move so quietly she was almost impossible to notice. Tess had become quite capable at the art of backstabbing over the years. People knowing that made it like coming at them head-on in broad daylight instead. That wouldn’t do.

“Not as anything more than a princess, I’m afraid.”

 

When they (thankfully, unaided) made their way back to the rooms, they found dinner had been left there for them. Making it back in time had completely slipped Tess’ mind, and she was grateful someone had taken care to leave something to eat. 

Lorna took the cover off and Tess wrinkled her nose. Steak. “Nice of them to leave it, but I don’t eat meat.”  
Lorna blinked. “Didn’t take you for an animal lover, Greymane, and I’ve seen druids tear into all sorts of things.” 

“Oh, that’s not the problem,” Tess sighed. “Like I said, I was a sickly child, and everyone always thought it’d be a little too much for me. 

“Were they right?”

“I don’t know, but I get on just fine without it.”

The taller woman paused. “Well, if you give me your steak, I’ll give you my potatoes, and we can split this,”Lorna offered, brandishing the bottle of wine. 

“You drive a hard bargain, Crowley, but I suppose I’ll accept,” Tess said, sitting down at the stone table. 

Over dinner, they talked about their common ground. Most of the Crowley holdings in Gilneas had been separated from the rest of the country with the construction of the Greymane wall, and subsequently destroyed by the undead. Crowley Manor, Lorna’s childhood home, had been no exception. Like a lot of Gilnean nobles, the Crowley family had alternated between winters in the city and summers in the countryside. Although Lorna moved with her father seasonally, she had also spent a lot of time living at their orchard in Duskhaven, near Greymane Manor. Of the three, she said, she preferred the orchard. Crowley Manor felt too big before it turned to ashes, and the city was stifling, but growing apples and riding horses through the woods with Liam was always a source of joy.

“You’re a farm girl, then,” Tess teased and passed Lorna the bottle.

Lorna took a swig. “Aye, in another life, maybe.” The soft smile on her face was disarmingly genuine. “What about you, then? Where was your favorite?”, she asked, passing the bottle back. 

Tess loved Gilneas City more than anything. There was freedom there, less prying eyes watching over her. While Liam, the king, and the queen, spent the majority of their time there governing, Genn had feared Tess too frail for life in the city. Aside from a few fleeting weeks here and there, or joining her family for Winter Veil, she had spent most of her childhood alone with various servants in the Manor. She’d learned a lot to pass the time. That didn’t make the manor any less of a cage. 

“Not bloody Duskhaven, I’ll tell you that.” Tess eyed the bottle for a second before finishing it off.

Lorna shook her head. “You’d think with all the time you spent in that manor, someone would have taught you how to talk like a lady.” She gave the wine bottle in Tess’ hand a cursory glance. “Maybe how to drink like one, too. That would’ve been helpful.”

Tess gave her a wry smile. “I’m fine. Worry about yourself.” Tess was fine. A little tipsier than she’d intended on getting maybe, and her cheeks were definitely flushed, but all things considered, that wasn’t so bad.

“See, normally I would worry about myself, but I’m quite sure that if I don’t worry about you first, it counts as sedition now.

“It’s treason, then,” Tess said, barely stifling a yawn. When had it gotten so late?

“Come on, Greymane,” Lorna said, getting up. “I’m sure you have a tea party or something tomorrow morning that you’ll want to wake up in time for.”

Tess looked up at Lorna, tilting her head.“You really don’t know anything about me, do you?”

Lorna raised an eyebrow. “Keeping something from me, Greymane?”

“Maybe,” Tess drawled. “How far do you reckon that map on the wall is?”

Lorna narrowed her eyes. “About fifteen paces, maybe? Why?”

Tess was sober enough to know that it’d would probably work, but definitely tipsy enough to think this was a good idea. She picked up the unused steak knife next to her plate, stood up, and hurled it at the map. 

The knife hit Gilneas dead center and stuck. Tess turned around and curtsied at Lorna, whose jaw was just about on the floor. 

“Where the hell did you learn to do that, Princess?” She looked at Tess, then at the knife, then back at Tess again. 

“Maybe if you had gone to any of those tea parties back home you’d know, Commander.” 

“I, erm, wow,”Lorna definitely hadn’t drank as much as Tess had, but she was quickly becoming as flushed. “I’m going to go find where I’m supposed to be sleeping, and-”

Tess pointed at the side door. “It’s through there.”

“Right. Great. Go to bed, you’ve a lot of first impressions to make tomorrow.” Lorna started to the door.

“What was yours?” Tess asked.

Lorna stopped at the door, eyed the knife again. “Whatever it was, it’s bloody busted, I’d say.” She walked into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all ever accidentally reveal your secret rogue training just to flex on a cute girl? I can hit stuff with an axe at about 10 feet but Tess is cooler than me so I'm sure she's fine at 15 (don't come at me knife physicists)


	3. Chapter 3

The next few weeks went by in a comfortable rhythm. By the time Lorna had dragged herself out of bed and gotten halfway presentable, Tess would be waiting for her outside, and she’d take her to whatever noble obligation Tess had to fulfill that day. When they were done early (and Tess seemed to have a way of wrapping those things up early), they found ways to kill time. Walking through the city was getting more difficult as summer stretched on, even as they (slowly) acclimated to the heat. Tess had finally gotten around to meeting the prince, who as it turned out, was in fact a “perfectly nice young man”, if not a little boring. Both royals had an irritating habit of being able to read people like a book. Anduin didn’t even seem to know he was doing it, but frustratingly, Tess definitely did. Sometimes, they’d be in the middle of a conversation and Tess would just tilt her head slightly, eyes flashing, and Lorna would know she’d just given something away. She thought she was being subtle about it, but sometimes late at night Lorna would hear her sneaking out of the keep. Shoddy bodyguarding not to admonish her for that, but everyone deserved their secrets, and Lorna had a feeling tried to stop her would prove ineffectual and frustrating for everyone involved. 

Even more frustrating was the fact that even after a few weeks, she didn't really know where she stood with Tess. She’d definitely made a critical error in taking Liam’s word that Tess was just a docile pet of their father’s. She seemed to wear a lot of faces, though, and Lorna wasn't sure which one was real. She always seemed to be on her guard, whether that meant perfectly delivering her courtesies or slamming that knife into the wall. Lorna had never once gotten a reaction out of her that didn’t feel practiced a thousand times. She liked Tess, and they got on well enough, but did that get to count as friendship? It didn’t help that she was absolutely striking in more ways than one. Lorna could think of some other things she’d like Tess to slam against a wall. Best not to dwell on that, though. This was a job, she wasn’t even sure if Tess liked her at all, and her father would certainly have Lorna’s hide if anything happened. Then again, Lorna thought, angering Genn isn’t exactly in the realm of the unfamiliar. 

Today, after breakfasting with the Prince, they were on their way to the garden to do some planting. Anduin had seemed baffled at that, and had told them he could send someone to plant what they wanted for them. 

“Nonsense,” Tess had said. “It will be nice to put some roots in the ground here, if I’m to be staying a while. Besides, It’s a full moon and midsummer tonight. Couldn’t ask for a better planting day.”

Lorna had nodded her head in agreement, remembering Tess’ odd connection with the outdoors. “It’s good growing, your highness.”

“Very well,” Anduin had agreed, chuckling. “I’ll be seeing you both tonight?

Lorna’s eyes widened. Damn. That midsummer ball some of the fine ladies of court had mentioned about a week earlier. 

Tess looked over, registering her surprise with barely concealed amusement. “Of course,” she said, getting up to leave. “Happy midsummer!” she called after her. 

The gardens of the Stormwind Keep were immaculate as the rest of the building. Everything was neat and tidy, with plenty of space to walk and admire the foliage. Tess had pulled her hair up and changed into honest-to-god overalls, which, while definitely not proper nor ladylike, suited her surprisingly well. In such direct sunlight, Lorna could see tiny freckles on her nose. Tess strode into the manicured gardens, took one look at the space, and frowned. 

“This won’t do.”

“We’re planting roses, aren’t we? Seems right proper to do that here.” Lorna gestured to an empty space between a tree and a patch of tulips.

Tess raised an eyebrow. “We’re planting Gilnean roses. Unless you want this place to look like the bloody Blackwald in a month, we’ll need to find another place to put these.”

“Excuse me,” a third voice interrupted. Lorna whirled around, hand on her sword, but it was just a maid. Hope, she thought her name was.

Hope laughed a little at that. “I assure you, Lady Crowley, that any potential assailants wouldn’t have the good graces to introduce themselves first. Lady Greymane, there’s a smaller courtyard a bit out of the way that the staff’s seemed to have forgot about. Might be better for what you’ve got.”

“Thank you very much,” Tess smiled. How long was she listening?

“You’d best better get going if you want to be done in time to get ready, though,” Hope curtsied and left the gardens. Peculiar phrasing.

“Excuse me, Hope. If you don’t mind me asking, where are you from? I’ve never heard that accent before. 

Hope’s shoulders tensed. Just for a moment, barely perceptible. “I moved a fair bit as a child, Princess Greymane. Hard to stay in one place what with all the constant warring.”

“Of course,” Tess nodded. “My apologies, Hope.”

“It’s quite alright, Princess. I’d best be off.” Hope left the gardens, for good this time. 

Lorna turned to Tess.“What was that all about?”

“That woman is faking her accent. “

“What? Why?”

“I’ve not the slightest clue. I can’t quite put my finger on it, not a lot of experience with regional accents, but something’s definitely off.”

Lorna wrinkled her brow. Definitely something to watch, then. “Well, we should try and find that courtyard soon, Greymane.”

“Lead the way, Crowley.” Tess gave her a little mock bow. 

Although the keep proved to be as twisting and difficult to navigate as ever, they did find the courtyard before long. It was hidden away at the end of a long and dusty corridor, and was well overgrown itself. Brambles lined the walls, practically spilling out of the large stone archways exposing the room to the open air. It certainly would take some work to clear, though judging by the look of determination that had set itself on Tess’ face, they certainly were going to give it their best shot.

“You should probably take that jacket off, Crowley. Gardening is sweaty work and it’s not exactly crisp out here.” 

Lorna eyed the wool jacket of her dress uniform, which she usually wore around the keep, and then looked at the sun. It was midsummer tonight, and it certainly felt like it. “Might be right about that, Greymane,” she said, peeling off her jacket and gloves. “Right, then, let’s get on with it.”

After a few hours, it was passable, and Tess was proud of their work. They’d cleared most of the thorns out of the main space, and discovered that there was a solid layer of healthy green grass underneath. She’d planted the flower seeds, a mix of Gilnean Firebreathers and Moonbreaths, in a circle surrounding the singular tree. The work had taken slightly longer than Tess had expected, but then again, the tank top Lorna had under her uniform exposed the muscles in her broad shoulders and back as they worked, and it was more than a little distracting. With any luck, their work would take, and their garden would be filled with red and white roses before the summer ended. The sun and the heat had taken its toll, and they were both red-faced and sweaty by the end, slumped in the shade of the oak. The light was just beginning to turn gold in the late afternoon, and Tess watched the sun make patterns on the lake below them. She was just about to turn to make some comment on the beauty of it all when she notice Lorna looking at her, an odd expression on her face. It was softer than anything Tess was used to seeing on her, and she found it curious. 

She turned to Lorna and tilted her head questioningly. “What are you looking at?”

Tess was excellent at telling when people were hiding things, but something about Lorna’s straightforward nature consistently threw her off. She really had no idea where she stood with her. Lorna had a reputation for being quite vocal about her hatred for royals, but she was nice enough to Tess. Maybe a little nicer after she pulled that stunt with the knife. There wasn’t really anything in the keep to protect her from, but Lorna did have a habit of resting her hand on Tess’ lower back as they turned a corner. You know. Just in case.

A long pause passed between them. Lorna blinked. “You, erm….you have dirt on your nose, Greymane.”

Tess narrowed her eyes. Definitely not why. “I have dirt on my nose?” 

Lorna nodded. Leaned in closer. Tess saw her already-red face flush ever so slightly as she brushed some imaginary dirt off of her face, fingers lingering on her cheek for just a second longer than they should. She looked at Lorna, golden in the sunlight, eyes glassy. Wow. 

Lorna blinked, pulling away. “Sun’s almost down. We need to get ready.” 

“So we do,” Tess said flatly. 

 

They were almost late anyway. Scurrying through the keep to change, they had to dodge the beginnings of the party starting to happen in the throne room. As soon as they got back to the rooms, Lorna realized she’d forgotten her jacket in the courtyard. Cursing under her breath, she rummaged through her things, looking for the one dress Tess had said she’d ordered for her if the occasion arose. She finally closed her hands around it at the bottom of her trunk. A woman after my own heart, she thought, realizing it wasn't a dress at all. 

As they were walking through the halls towards the throne room, Lorna realized with a start that she had almost no idea what she was walking into. She’d never really caught up on the affairs of the outside world after their decade behind the wall, dismissing everything other than retaking Gilneas as unimportant. It sure seemed important now.

As if sensing the cause of her sudden stop, Tess looked up and put a hand on Lorna’s shoulder. “Do you need me to explain court to you before we arrive?” Her tone wasn’t at all condescending, and her smile seemed genuine.

Lorna sighed. “Please.”

The near-destruction of Stormwind during the First War, combined with the subsequent destruction of the rest of the human kingdoms, meant that the noble families of court were fewer and more diverse in origin than they had been in her father’s youth. Stromgarde had died with the Trollbanes, and Kul Tiras wasn’t part of the alliance anymore. They kept to their archipelago, and none of their nobility had left since Jaina Proudmoore left to train in Dalaran many years ago (and no one’s seen her in years, Tess added as an afterthought). Most of Loaderon’s gentry had been trampled underfoot by the undead or turned themselves, though there were a few minor houses in Stormwind, and there were always whispers. No one had actually seen Calia Menethil die, after all. Gilneas itself had managed to keep the majority of its nobility through its isolation. However, the civil war had eliminated almost all of the major houses aside from the Greymanes and the Crowleys, and the outbreak and invasion shortly after knocked off the lords of Tempest’s Reach and the Blackwald. 

Lorna shot Tess a worried look. “If and when we return home,your father’s rule stands virtually uncontested and unmitigated. There’s no one alive left to answer to.”

“And long may he reign.” Tess smiled serenely. Lorna raised her eyebrows, and Tess reached up to tap her ear slightly. There’s always people listening.

Lorna nodded. “And long may he reign.”

Tess continued explaining as they carried on down the hall. Westfall had put its nobility to the sword long ago, and the Ebonlockes, the only prominent family in Duskwood, were too busy fighting for their own survival to play at nobility. Redridge had no nobility to speak of. That left Elwynn and the city itself. The constant warring left quite the power vacuum, and the situation had indeed grown dire during the prince’s childhood. However, since the return of King Varian Wrynn, the house of nobles had lost a considerable amount of influence, and the kingdom of Stormwind was significantly more martial in nature. Of course, the rest of the alliance was significantly more in play now, and several outsiders, especially the night elves, dwarves, and some of the draenei enjoyed a place at court and would most likely be in attendance. Lorna was reeling at all the information, and marvelled at how Tess managed to fit over a decade of history in the two-minute walk to the throne room. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to voice any of her many questions, as the doorway was coming up much too fast. Lorna offered Tess her arm, and they stepped through into the hall.

 

They arrived fashionably late, Lorna in her suit and with a sword casually strapped to her back, and Tess in a dress that looked like it was made of moonlight, her hair still in the messy bun she’d been gardening in. At least she’d bothered to remember to put the tiara on this time. Lorna scanned the room. Genn wasn’t here. Good. Aside from that chiefly important detail, it seemed like a normal enough affair. The throne room was decorated in red, with sparklers hanging from the walls. A few people were dancing, but most mingled and talked to each other. Even the parties were political affairs here. At least there seemed to be an open bar somewhere. 

“Come on, then,” Tess said, pulling her into the mix of things. As they said their hellos to various people, Tess would lean up to point them out to Lorna.

“See the woman in the blue dress, long blonde hair? Daviana Ellerian, either the prince’s second cousins twice removed or third cousin. Distinction’s not that important, I suppose.”

“The man in that jacket, the one with all the ridiculous gold on it, forget his name but rumor has it he’s some lost heir to a minor house in Loaderon. Probably a con artist, but a decent one if he’s gotten this far.”

Lorna watched her pick people out from the crowd, fascinated. Tess really did seem to be in her element here, for all the quiet resentment she had about being a princess. 

“That’s the king,” Tess said, helpfully pointing at King Varian Wrynn, who was in fact walking right towards them. Lorna had seen him in passing during a few of the more grandiose strategy meetings during her time as Commander, but they’d never been formally introduced. Likewise with Tess. From what she heard about the king, he seemed like exactly the type of person to wear full armor to a party in midsummer. He’d even brought the giant sword to match

He closed the distance between them and nodded at Tess. “Princess Greymane. Welcome to Stormwind.” Clearly he was also not a man of many words.

“Thank you, King Wrynn. I appreciate your hospitality very much,” Tess replied, dipping into a curtsy. 

He nodded again. Formalities over with, he turned to Lorna. “You’d be Commander Crowley, then?” he asked, expression suddenly much warmer. “You’re quite the general, from what I’ve heard.”

Lorna smiled internally at the use of her proper title. “I am, but you’ve definitely not heard that from Genn.” 

They both laughed at that, and the king turned to Tess again. “May I steal her for a second? I’d love to hear her thoughts on the war for Loaderon as a whole.”

“Of course,” Tess replied. As Lorna walked away with him, she turned around and gave Tess a quick little shrug. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged back, smiling as she watched Lorna clearly launch herself into the conversation, gesturing wildly. 

Tess barely had any time to worry about how she’d fare at the ball alone before someone else walked up to her. He seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite place his face. His brown hair and flat grey eyes would have made it easy to blend in in the city, but he was one of the few people at the party wearing full armor, and had a single dagger at his belt. Tess suddenly felt exposed in the dress she was in, suppressing a shiver, despite the heat of the evening. She usually had at least one dagger on her, but in their hurry from the courtyard, she’d forgotten to figure out how to hide it and forgone it altogether. 

“Princess Greymane. It’s an honor to finally meet you,” he said with a slight bow.

“You’ll have to excuse me, sir. I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.”

“My apologies. My name is Mathias Shaw, captain of SI:7.”

Shaw. Anduin had mentioned him in passing in a story about his adventures in Pandaria. He’d said something about him being a glorified babysitter, but Tess had known there were other reasons to surveil people than that.

Tess smiled at him. “Ah, the spymaster. I do believe I’ve heard of you, after all.”

He seemed to share Tess’ reticence for openly emoting, keeping his face blank. “I am. My job is to keep an eye on the various pieces on the board, as it were. The crown would be...amiss if it didn’t have its suspicions. You Gilneans are a secretive people.”

“We believe caution is a virtue, spymaster,” Tess didn’t rise to the jab. She could practically see the wheels turning in Shaw’s head when she locked eyes with him.

“Tell that to your friend,” he replied, gesturing to Lorna on the other side of the room, who currently appeared to be engaged in some sort of drinking contest with the king. And winning. Tess had to fight a smile at that.

“I don’t know how she forgoes secrecy. It’s admirable, and it’s almost gotten her killed innumerable times. You of all people should know the value of secrets.”

“Oh, I have mine, and keep the kingdom’s, but other people’s aren’t of any use unless I know them.” When Tess didn’t respond or react, he tried again. “You sneak out of the keep some nights. Where do you go?”

Tess locked eyes with him. “You’re the spymaster, you tell me.” She turned to leave the conversation, get some fresh air perhaps, when his hand shot out lightning-fast to grab her wrist. Reflex kicked in, and she found herself going through the motions, about to flip him, before she stopped herself. Slowly, she lowered her arms to her sides.

He raised his eyebrows at that.“Why bother with all this? A woman of your talents, you could be doing so much more. What’s your game?”

She didn’t respond. Didn’t get the chance to either, because Lorna had picked that particular moment to return. Lorna glared at the spymaster, placing a warm hand on Tess’ bare shoulder. “What do you want, Shaw?”

“Courteous as ever, Commander. I was just introducing myself to your princess. Nothing to hide, I promise.” Shaw held his hands up. Lorna continued to glare, and he gave her a bow before leaving the room.

Tess sighed and leaned into Lorna a little more than she’d expected to, and she felt the taller woman stiffen. “I’m sure he thinks father and I intend to make a play for the throne with all this. He’s very suspicious.”

“All the best spymasters are.” 

“Maybe he should look into you a little more.” Tess looked up. “I don’t recall Stormwind law saying succession is determined by whether or not you can outdrink the king, but you’d be quite the threat if it was.”

Lorna laughed at that. “It was speed, not quantity. I don’t think anyone could outdrink king Wrynn, and I’m not about to put my liver on the line trying to test that.”

“Next party then,” Tess smiled. “Seeing as we’re still at this one, how about a dance?”

Lorna gave Tess her best fake curtsy. “It would be my honor, Greymane.” 

Lorna put one hand in Tess’ and one on her waist. It was getting later in the night, and the music had slowed down considerably. Lorna barely remembered her one childhood dance lesson (was that the one she’d stormed out of?), but Tess took the lead, and Lorna was relieved to find it wasn’t difficult. They swayed there for a while, enjoying what had become a comfortable silence. Near the end of the song, Tess looked up at Lorna again, something inscrutable shifting in her eyes. The hand on Lorna’s shoulder was now decidedly closer to her neck, thumb just barely grazing her jaw. They were closer than they had been originally, and Lorna found herself wondering when that had happened at the same time that she found herself realizing she wanted to close the remaining distance between them. Tess almost got there first, but suddenly, she withdrew.  
“Father!” Tess tried not to squeak. “I wasn’t aware you’d be here.”

When had Genn Greymane arrived? Lorna hadn’t noticed. She tried to swallow her surprise with her anger, clenching her fists behind her back. 

Genn was either oblivious or indifferent to what they had been (had almost been?) doing. Most likely the former. “Tess,” be all but barked. “Walk with me”. 

He clearly wasn’t asking, and the grip on her shoulder confirmed it. Genn shot Lorna a parting glare as the two walked off. She waited until they left the room, then started to tail them, but was intercepted by a cheerful and oblivious Anduin. He wanted to know all about how their planting went, and his genuine enthusiasm prevented Lorna’s grouchiness from getting her out of the conversation. Yes, we planted roses, two different kinds. No, it’s not the same way we planted apples at the orchard back home. No, the heat wasn’t too much trouble. Anduin had started down a long line of questioning about Gilnean roses’ ability to seemingly conquer a whole garden, and Lorna was starting to genuinely contemplate pulling her sword and giving him a second bad leg when she saw Genn re-enter the room, and stalk off towards a different exit. 

“You’ll have to excuse me,” Lorna said quickly, turning to intercept King Greymane before he left. There was no need, because as soon as he saw her, he pivoted towards her. “She’s run off. Do find her,” he spat. Unable to hide his anger, he turned and stormed out of the end of the hall. 

Lorna stormed out of a different exit. Tess was hopefully somewhere in the keep, and Lorna needed to make sure she was okay. She’d never had a problem with inciting the wrath of their king, publicly and often, but he wasn’t her father. Lorna hadn’t missed the way Tess seemed to tense when she talked about home. The keep at night was a nightmare to navigate, even with the occasional firework outside temporarily lighting the way. Tess wasn’t in the rooms. She wasn’t in the gardens, though plenty of the other revelers had made their way out there. Lorna started through the keep again, breaking into a run. 

She found Tess in the courtyard. She’d taken her hair down and was sitting barefoot in the grass, wrapped in Lorna’s forgotten jacket and looking towards the full moon. Something about her was less composed then usual, and Lorna could only describe her expression as “breathtakingly sad”. She looked at Tess, all but glowing in the moonlight, and thought to herself that she was the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen. Lorna blinked. She’d found Tess, but she clearly wanted privacy, and she stepped back to watch over the doorway.

A short while later, she heard someone coming down the corridor, a peculiar clicking noise following them. She moved her hand up closer to her sword, but as it came closer, she realized it was just the prince, walking with the cane he sometimes used. 

“Is the princess out there?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, but I don’t think she wants to talk to anyone”

Anduin smiled sadly. “Still, I should try.”

Lorna shrugged. “I’m sure it’s treason if I try to stop you.”

The prince narrowed his eyes knowingly at her before entering the courtyard. 

Anduin hadn’t been in this part of the keep for years. It wasn’t well maintained, not enough people to fill it, and had started to become overgrown. The two Gilneans seemed to be doing their part to reclaim it, though, and he was glad for it.

He walked over to Tess and quietly sat down next to her. “I used to run off here, when I was little and trying to get out of one obligation or another.”

“That’s the best part of being a princess. All of obligations, no way to run from them, and none of the inheritance.” She was clearly trying to deflect, but her heart wasn’t in it, and something in her eyes seemed very far away. 

 

Anduin looked out at the moon, then back to Tess.“Thinking of home?”

“In a way. When my father closed us off, it was… messy. Everyone thought he wouldn’t possibly stoop that low and the ones who thought he would didn’t think he could handle the strategy of it. So many families were cut off from each other. Our manor was in Duskhaven, by the sea, and when I was little I’d often sneak out to watch it.”

“It seems you have a talent for that,” Anduin noted. “You’ve managed to lose your shadow”

Tess didn’t do anything to acknowledge the prince’s interjection. “I wouldn’t be alone there, most nights. There was a family, three Kul Tiran brothers who had picked the worst time to sail to Gilneas. Hayward, I think they were called. They seemed cheerful enough during the days, but at night they’d come out to the beach and I’d see them mourning. I was used to being trapped. I can’t imagine what it felt like to have their entire life stolen away from them like that. Worse than being killed, because they had to come out every night for a decade and look at the ocean instead of going home.They never talked to me, just looked out at the horizon they couldn’t get to. Except one night, when I was ten. I snuck up on one of them and asked him why he was out most every night. I wish I could remember exactly what he said, but I was terribly frightened. Something about how when you’re living the wrong life you have to burying what you’ve lost at the end of every day. I’m farther from Gilneas than they ever were from Kul Tiras, but they’re the same amount of lost, I’m afraid. ”

“My lady, word from the front bodes well,” the prince tried again. “Gilneas belongs to your people, and the Alliance will see it returned. You can go home again, someday.”

Tess turned to look at him. “I was home on that beach in Gilneas. Didn’t stop me from feeling that same pain, except I had nowhere in particular to be missing. I fear I’ll soon tire of cages for good, Prince Anduin. What happens then?

Anduin looked at her sadly. “We take a deep breath and get back in, I suppose”. 

Tess looked at him coldly and turned to face the moon again. 

 

Anduin must have taken another exit from the courtyard, Lorna thought, as he wasn’t with Tess and he didn’t come out the way he’d come in. It was well past midnight, and just as she decided it was about time to intervene, even if that meant having to carry the princess out of there herself, Tess came into the hallway, almost silent. 

She looked up at Lorna “We should go,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. 

They made their way through the halls of the keep quietly, save for the ever-present click of Lorna’s boots on the stone floors. When they arrived at the rooms, Tess made no effort to take the dress off before she crawled into bed. Lorna turned to extinguish the torch at the door. 

“Sleep well”, she said, starting towards her own room. 

“Lorna.” She had a hand on the door, but something about the way Tess whispered her name gave her pause.

“Yes?”

“Can you...can you stay?”

Lorna didn’t realize she had been holding her breath. She let it out in a sigh and walked towards the bed. “Of course.” She took her shoes off and climbed in, hesitantly sliding an arm around Tess’ shoulder. It was colder than Lorna had expected, and she could feel Tess quietly shuddering as she exhaled- she was trying and failing not to cry. Breath by breath it slowed to normal, and Lorna felt herself relax with it. The last thing she heard before they both drifted off was a barely audible “thank you”.


	4. Chapter 4

Tess slept in for the first time since she’d arrived. Keeping a tight schedule was hard in the keep, and all of those late nights of sneaking out to practice were starting to take their toll. Sometime during the night, they’d gotten hopelessly tangled up, though sleepily, Tess thought she didn’t mind that very much. The sun was well past starting to stream through the windows when Lorna woke up. Bolting upright, she practically threw Tess off of her as she frantically reached for something, finding the knife that Tess kept under her pillow and pulling it. 

Tess held her hands out in front of her reassuringly. “Crowley? You’re alright.”

Lorna dropped the knife, pressed her eyes closed, and let out a measured sigh. “Light, I’m so sorry. Waking up in strange places is still-” she stopped. “Why do you keep a knife under your pillow?”

“So that my bodyguard can pull it on me after waking up in my bed,” Tess replied dryly.

Lorna eyed her suspiciously, but she didn’t push it. “We’re still both in last night’s clothes, and it’s probably pushing noon. Hope we didn’t have anything to do today, Greymane.”

“You can just call me Tess,” she said, picking up the knife and putting it back under her pillow with a pat. “We’re there, Crowley”

Something in Lorna’s face softened. “Lorna’s fine.”

Tess gave her a rare smile. “Alright then, Lorna.”

They sat there for a moment, grinning at each other like idiots, until a knock came at the door. 

“Ah, shit,” Lorna said as both of the scrambled off of the bed. “Which of us looks worse? The other’s got to answer.”

Tess looked at Lorna’s rumpled suit and wild hair, then at the mirror which revealed her equally messy hair and dress that was falling off one shoulder. “ Don’t think there’s a notable difference between the two of us.”

“I’ll do it then,” Lorna sighed, walking to the door.

A blood elf woman in full armor was on the other side. Lorna had seen her in passing during her few trips to Stormwind, she was some sort of spy and a close personal friend of the king, but Lorna had never caught her name. The wicked green daggers at her belt matched her eyes.

She raised a long eyebrow at Lorna’s general dishevelment, and then further at Tess scampering around the room in the background, trying to get changed. “The king would like you in the war room in an hour. Said you had some good thoughts on resource allocation.” She nodded at Tess. “He said Greymane could come too, if she so desires.” 

Lorna noticed that Tess stopped at that, turning to look at the elf. “Thank you,” Lorna said, nodding back and closing the door. 

“The war room?” Tess asked. “What were you talking about with the king last night?”

“Gilneas, actually. We maintain more of a separate standing army than the rest of the Alliance, which is a strategic weakness that prevents us from really forming ties, but that’s neither here nor there for this. When Genn announced we were to start trying to take it back as soon as possible, Varian warned him he wouldn’t be receiving much backup from the alliance at that time, as the bulk of the Alliance forces were either still putting out fires the Cataclysm left or starting to make landfall in Pandaria. As your father does have a habit of starting wars that other people do the bulk of the fighting in, I was put in charge of the efforts to liberate Gilneas, with the bloodfang pack working in tandem with our army. We had to scrape by with what we had got, and it did get a bit dodgy here and there, but we did a lot better than everyone expected us too. Took back Gilneas from the headlands to Duskhaven and just about everything in between.” Lorna had been going on for a good while, prouder than she’d realized of the whole affair. Of course, hanging over her always, was- 

“What happened?”

What had happened? Lorna had been left out to dry, she thought. She loved her father very much, but in the end he’d had some of the same hangups that Genn had about Tess. He thought her too fragile and refused to turn her. Worgen couldn’t be raised as undead, and without that protection, she was vulnerable, and the banshee queen had taken advantage of that. Lord Darius Crowley had thought it a fair trade, Gilneas for the life of his only daughter. Genn had blamed her for it. Lorna had blamed herself, too. 

“We lost it.” When Tess continued to look at her questioningly, Lorna sighed and tried again. “Maybe I’ll tell you sometime later, but we need to get ready.”

…

They ended up meeting Anduin on the way, Lorna back in her battle armor and Tess in a plain grey dress, one of her tinier knives hidden on her back. 

“I’m glad you’re coming,” he said to the both of them after making the appropriate greetings. “It’s good to have a friendly face at these things.” His clothing was more militaristic than usual, and he seemed uncomfortable under the weight of the sword on his back.

Lorna eyed it. “You ever use that thing?”

Anduin shifted, laughing uncomfortably. “Light, no. I’m not much of a fighter.”

Tess turned to him, her expression unreadable. “A luxury for a prince to not be”

“I suppose. Doesn’t stop my father from trying to make me one, though.”

“You can’t make someone into something they’re not, but if there’s anything I’ve learned about war, it’s that you have to work with what you’ve got. Want me to try and give you a few pointers?”

Anduin shrugged. “Might as well. After the meeting, then?”

“Meet you in the sparring yard,” Lorna smiled.

“Very well, then,” he agreed as the three of them walked into the war room. 

…  
It wasn’t a very large assembly, Tess thought. Varian stood at the head of the table, with her father on the left and the elf woman from earlier on the right. Unlike Lorna, she’d recognized Valeera Sanguinar on sight. While not technically a part of the Alliance, her loyalties lay with the Wrynns, and worked as a spy for the crown. If the rumours were to be believed, she was exceptionally good with those daggers. Notably, Shaw stood at the other end of the table, conversing with a night elf champion Tess had seen in passing during her stay in Darnassus. A couple of other people in Stormwind plate were present, but no one Tess recognized.

When he heard them come in, the king turned around. Breaking into a wide smile, he pulled Anduin into a hug, which was only slightly awkward given the full armor he was wearing. The smile stayed on his face as he turned to Lorna. “Good on you to come, Commander!”

Genn was clearly fuming behind him, and Tess saw Lorna’s eyes flash ash she responded “Good on you to invite me, your majesty,” she laughed.

Varian turned to Tess and nodded solemnly. “And you as well, Princess Greymane.”

Tess almost snorted at the sudden lack of warmth, but there were impressions to be made. She nodded back, choosing to say nothing. Being seen and not heard was annoying sometimes, but it often proved an advantage. As the meeting started (something about troop movements in the Taanan Jungle), she noticed both Shaw and Sanguinar observing her suspiciously. Fair enough, she considered. The king most likely thought she was scheming, and his spymaster was clearly sure she was hiding something. That was her father’s fault. He thought himself a mastermind, but his play at garnering more control over the alliance through some marriage pact was anything but subtle. They’d just made the logical conclusion that Tess was in on it too. She was hiding something, yes, but not that. 

Lorna cleared her throat next to her. “I’m not sure that’s going to work,” she said, pointing at the map on the table. “There’s too many soldiers in one place to make the push from Lion’s Watch to the Fel Forge. Those demons up at the forge, that’s who you fight by throwing numbers at them, but in between us and them is a fair amount of jungle. Undoubtedly filled with orcs who know the terrain far better. If you have the full force go through there, that’s a bottleneck and a massacre waiting to happen. If you split them into three or so, moving them here, here, and here, they can’t be ambushed as easily.”

Varian eyed the map, considering what she had said, but before he could reply Genn stepped forward and glared at her. “That leaves the back half completely open to an attack from Vol’mar. Unacceptable.”

Anduin laid his hands on the table. “I understand that the diplomatic situation in Draenor isn’t exactly ideal, but why would the horde choose to attack us from the back on a push against our mutual enemy? We’re on decent terms with Warchief Vol’Jin.” He turned to Shaw. “Unless there’s evidence they’re planning something?”

Shaw shook his head. “According to the intelligence I have, I’d say an attack from the Horde in the jungle is unlikely at the moment.”

Varian nodded, turned to Lorna. “I believe that would work, Commander. Thank you for your insight.” Lorna smiled curtly and nodded.

The rest of the meeting went on uneventfully, and thankfully, didn’t go on for long. Anduin got up to leave, followed by Lorna and Tess, when Valeera sauntered over to them. “A word, Princess Greymane?” she asked.

Lorna eyed her warily, but Tess nodded. “I’ll meet you two there, then.” Valeera offered her arm, and the two of them took off down an empty hallway.

“How are you enjoying Stormwind so far, princess?”

“It’s a beautiful city, though very different from home,” Tess replied back evenly. 

They regarded each other for a few moments, before Valeera huffed. “Listen. I’m very good at sticking knives into the right people, and absolutely awful at talking to them. What’s your game?”

Tess blinked, startled at the straightforwardness. She had been expecting another minefield of a conversation like the one she’d had with Shaw the day prior. “My game?” she repeated.

“You’re hiding something.” Valeera said, a statement. “That much is clear, though no one can figure out what it is.”

Tess rolled her eyes. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. But if I did, would you kindly inform the spymaster I have no intention of making some clumsy power move against the Wrynns, and that where I go on my own time is entirely my business?”

“I don’t answer to Shaw,” Valeera retorted, ears pinned back in irritation. “Though, the fact that he knows you’re sneaking around light-knows-where and still can’t figure it out is interesting.” The elf paused. “You’re good, aren’t you?”

“Again, I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

Valeera moved her hand from Tess’ arm to her upper back. Exactly where the knife was. Shit. “Harder to hide in a dress, isn’t it? I loathe wearing them for it. Don’t worry though, I don’t think Shaw noticed, he hasn’t got eyes as good.”

Tess paused, scrambling for a response. Valeera smirked and looked at her intently. They turned a corner, into a slightly busier part of the castle. The elf stopped suddenly, ears flying back, eyeing one of the maids. “Princess Greymane, I’ve just remembered some pressing business I have to attend to. I’ll talk to you later.”

Valeera tapped the maid on the shoulder. “Excuse me, miss, but I seem to have gotten turned around. Can you tell me how to get back to the throne room?”

The woman turned around. Hope. “It’s not that hard, ma’am. Turn the corner and head straight down that hallway.”

The elf tilted her head. “I’m not sure I quite understand. Can you take me there?” The venom was evident in her voice. She grabbed Hope by the arm and whipped back around the corner, forgetting Tess entirely. 

Tess waited at the edge, hoping to overhear some snippets of whatever Valeera’s sudden ‘pressing business’ was. It was difficult to hear over the bustle of the keep, but she caught some snippets.

“What are you doing here? That’s extremely stupid-”

“Just wanted to see who she was”

“You are a literal enemy of the state! That would be like me skulking around Silvermoon!”

“They don’t know my face, it’s-”

“Shaw DOES, Ness! And we both know you cannot do a Stormwind accent to save your life!” 

 

“I wouldn’t-”

“You ARE! We cannot jeopardize-”

Tess strained her ears. They were moving farther away, and it was getting harder to hear.

“-doesn’t know. Nothing’s in danger, don’t-”

“-close to figuring it out. You have to-”

Nothing after that. Sighing (and wishing she had Valeera’s elf hearing), Tess went down the other end of the hallway. There was a lot to think about, but Lorna and Anduin would be expecting her.

…

By the time Tess got to the sparring yard, stripped down to a simple tank top and trousers, Lorna had already gotten Anduin started on some basic footwork and switched his weapon for a shortsword. Good choice- with his bad leg he doesn’t have the balance for anything bigger, she thought. When the two saw her enter, they stopped what they were doing, the both of them grinning.

“You two look happy,” Tess said, slightly suspicious. 

“Well, he’s got a lot better once we switched the sword and started from the basics again,” Lorna replied. “Everything okay with Valeera?”

Tess was going to keep whatever had happened close to her chest until she had time to figure it out.“I think? It’s hard to tell with rogues and spies.” 

Anduin cringed. “I’m sorry about all that. She can be… overprotective.” 

“It’s quite alright. As a Greymane, I have a high bar for what I consider excessive paranoia.”

Anduin and Lorna laughed. “So you do. Want to join in?,” the prince asked. 

Lorna bowed. “Don’t suppose anyone’s ever taught you to fight before?.”

“Liam tried to teach me once, when I was about eight. Father stopped him, said fighting was for boys and that all I’d do is get hurt.”

“Care to learn, then?”

Tess narrowed her eyes at Lorna. “You’re going to teach me to fight?” This was going to be fun.

Anduin was there, so it was still a little bit boring at first. They’d gone over basic footwork and blade positioning for what felt like hours. Lorna was right, the prince was steadily improving, but pretending not to know any of the technique was rapidly becoming tedious. Sometimes, though, Lorna would put her hands on Tess’ hips to adjust her positioning and blush a little bit, and Tess would feel a shiver run up her spine. She could put up with this for a little while longer.

The sun was starting to lower in the sky when the prince bowed out. “Thank you so much, Lady Crowley. We should do this again sometime.”

Lorna grinned. “If you’re up for it, absolutely.”

Anduin bowed towards the two of them and left the arena. 

Lorna turned to Tess. “Are you done as well, then?”

Tess thought about it. Her father had yelled at her last night, accusing her of not doing enough, and all but admitting that he thought Gilneas had no future, meaning no future with her. Three separate spies, as well as the king, suspected her of planning some sort of coup she wanted no part in. She was going to be stuck in this damnable city for the foreseeable future. She liked Lorna though, a lot. Liked the way she rolled her shoulders in that tank top and shook out her hair just now. Might as well take a page from her family’s book and do something stupidly reckless by escalating this situation. “Not quite. I think I’ve just about got the technique, but I’d like to try it out a bit, if you don’t mind.” Tess looked at Lorna innocently, stepping closer. 

Lorna blushed. “What, like sparring? Don’t know if you’re ready for that, Genn’d have my head if I hurt you.”

“You’d have to be able to hit me first,” Tess smiled and dropped her practice sword.

“If you knew how to spar, you’d know that generally having a weapon is encouraged.”

“I’m aware. I just don’t think I’m a sword kind of girl, do you?” Tess asked, going over to the weapons rack and picking up two training daggers. The balance was off, but they’d be fine. “Shall we, then?”

Lorna squinted at Tess and picked up a longsword. They circled each other for a few moments, until Lorna lunged forward, swinging the sword in a wide arc. Tess ducked under it and jumped to the left, trying to kick her leg out from under her. Lorna was significantly stronger than her, but Tess was faster, and there were several times when one of them almost won out over the other. As they continued to swing and dance around each other, neither of them scoring a hit, Tess watched Lorna’s general confusion change into a ferocious grin, her eyes full of a familiar fire. Finally, Tess saw an opening. Lorna reared back to the left with the sword, but before she could bring it down, Tess whirled behind her and twisted it out of her wrist. Grabbing Lorna’s shoulders, she swung a leg around her and tackled her to the ground. Tess straddled Lorna’s waist, keeping her down, one practice dagger to her throat. 

They stayed there for a moment, both breathless, Tess with a wide, smug grin and Lorna with a frankly delicious look of astonishment. 

“How?” she finally asked.

“Did you think I spent all my time alone in the manor learning how to plant roses? Everyone was so terribly busy with Liam that I figured I might as well pick up something useful in secret. Besides, you’ve a half foot on me and you’re definitely stronger, but you have a habit of telegraphing your moves way before you follow through.” Tess leaned in a little closer. “You’re very predictable.”

Lorna tilted her head to the side, seeming to consider this. Then, something in her face slackened, and all Tess had time to do was confusedly blink before Lorna grabbed both sides of her face and pulled her down. 

The kiss was surprisingly gentle, though as soon as Tess leaned into it, dropping the daggers to bury her hands in Lorna’s hair, that changed. Lorna pulled her in deeper, opening her mouth just slightly, and Tess responded all too enthusiastically. 

Tess felt strong hands move down to her waist. Wait. Lorna lifted her off and tossed Tess on the ground, leaning over her in the exact same way Tess had been moments before, picking up a discarded dagger and pointing it at her.

“How’s that for predictable?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gay rights


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short chapter to get back into it after I was gone all summer (lol). if any of yall still wanna read this go ahead.

Tess looked up at Lorna, feeling her shoulder blades press harder into the dusty floor of the sparring arena. 

“This dress is ruined now, Crowley.”

Lorna raised an eyebrow, keeping the wooden dagger at Tess’ neck. “Maybe you shouldn’t’ve ended up in the dirt then, princess,” she whispered.

“Hardly a fair way to win a fight,” Tess replied, feeling herself blush. “Not that I would have expected anything less from a Crowley, though.”

Lorna flashed her a lazy grin. “Ah, such typical Greymane hypocrisy.” She leaned in closer, running a thumb over Tess’ lips. “I seem to recall that you kissed me back.”

Tess looked up, eyelashes fluttering. Was she really doing all of this to mess with her, to win? “Well, I-”

She froze. Footsteps. Instinct kicked in and she wedged her feet under Lorna’s hips and kicked, launching them apart from each other a solid distance. 

“Lorna!” Anduin shouted from the doorway, cane clacking on the marble floor. “Have you seen a blue book, pretty big, I think I might’ve left it-” he stopped abruptly, looking back and forth at the two of them panting in the dirt. 

Lorna was on her feet in an instant. “I, erm,” she flashed Tess a panicked look.

Tess turned to the prince. “I haven’t seen anything here. What’s it about, anyway?”

“Well, it’s actually in Draenic, so I can’t read it, not directly anyway, but I’ve been looking for research on light-assisted healing of light-aggravated injuries, and-”

Tess was very good at a lot of things. Pretending to listen was one of them. As the prince launched into a long-winded explanation of some sort of scientific theology, she got up and dusted herself off as best she could. Lorna was scrambling, reorganizing the already-arranged practice weapons a conspicuous distance away from the two of them. 

“Anyway, Princess Tess, you’ve lived in Darnassus a while. How would you say the weather is this time of year?”

“Usually cool, if the rain’s come in yet. I wasn’t aware you were travelling anytime soon, Prince Anduin.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I’ve just said- the next two weeks, maybe the Exodar too if there’s time, I have a couple questions about comparative light usage, and frankly it’s too hot to think in Stormwind right now, so I figured we’d best get out for a while.” 

Lorna walked over, looking significantly more collected than she had a moment ago, though her curls were still a little too tangled. It suited her immensely, Tess thought. “We?” she asked, eyes flashing.

Anduin grinned. “Well, your father thought it would be a good idea for Tess to come with me. You know, since you’ve lived there. Commander Crowley’s to accompany us, make sure we don’t get into too much trouble. 

Lorna nodded and put a hand on Tess’s shoulder. “Of course, Prince Anduin. I think I did see that book back in the armory.”

His face lit up. “Excellent! I have to run to the gardens right now, but would you mind getting it, Commander?” The prince didn’t wait for a response before he left the sparring arena in as much of a hurry as he could muster. He was slower on his bad days, the ones where he needed the cane. 

Lorna rolled her eyes. “Bloody royals, I swear.” Her hand was still on Tess’s shoulder, thumb absentmindedly running over her collarbone.

Tess tilted her head slightly. “You know, you would have been one if your side had won.”

Lorna stopped. “No.” She stood up straighter.

Tess looked up. “No?”

“I want to believe there’s something better out there than giving teenagers who treat seasoned military commanders like errand girls absolute power”

Tess looked up, keeping her expression neutral. How to respond to that? As a child, she’d always thought the monarchy was unfair. Unfair in the way that her brother was taught to lead and she was taught not to speak unless spoken to. Unfair when her father alone made the call to wall the country off. Even unfair here, where if rumors were to be believed, the Wrynns lived lives of luxury at the expense of stonemasons and farmers. 

She knew enough about Lorna to know she wanted nothing more than to change the world, pursue her idea of justice to the ends of Azeroth. She loved that. She hated it, too- Tess had responsibilities, couldn’t draw attention to herself, couldn’t-

Lorna wrinkled her nose. It made the freckles dusting over it more noticable. Tess fought the urge to reach out and touch them. “You know, you are exceptionally difficult to read, Greymane.”

Tess sighed, feeling their comfortable rhythm return. “You’ve never had to be good at reading people before. It’s not your style.”

“Oh, so you know ‘my style’, now. What would that be, then?”

“Charging straight through any difficult situation. You don’t have to be observant when kicking and yelling works just as well.”

Lorna stopped, seemingly weighing that. “I always thought that was Liam.”

“Oh, he was like that as well. Do you know what he was doing when the dead first marched on Duskhaven?”

“Oh, light. What?”

“Fighting trained soldiers of the horde with a broken bottle and without a shirt”

Lorna laughed, squeezing her eyes tight at the memory. Tess winced internally. She knew her brother’s death was still a very painful memory for her father, and it must be for Lorna as well. But she just sighed, taking her hand off Tess’s shoulder. 

“Well, I better go find that book. Mustn’t keep the prince waiting.” At that, Lorna gave an exaggerated curtsy and walked out of the room. 

Tess relaxed her shoulders, not realizing that she had been standing up so straight. It had been an eventful day, and if she was about to embark on this unwanted trip to Darnassus, there would be longer days ahead. She needed to rest. 

Unfortunately, as she turned to leave, red flashed in the corner of her eye. Tess had half a moment to scramble out of the way as Valeera quite literally dropped from the rafters. For a second she just looked at the elf, exasperated but not surprised. 

“I don’t suppose you want something,” she said finally, breaking the silence.

“No, I’m just up here for fun.” Valeera smiled wide enough that Tess could see her fangs. “Not as much fun as it looked like you were having, though.”

Tess felt her stomach drop. 

“Oh, speaking of, you simply have to tell me where you learned to fight like that. The prince is taking a ship to Darnassus in part because your father said someone with your frail constitution shouldn’t use portals. It’s a whole affair, really. Odd that someone so frail can also kick the shit out of a seasoned military commander, isn’t it?”

Tess took a deep breath. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” Denial certainly wasn’t an actual solution, but maybe it would buy her some time?

“Don’t be modest, princess. You’re good. Even better if you’ve managed to hide it this long.”  
“And?” Tess asked with a sigh.

“And,” Valeera paused, “I have business in Darnassus I need you to take care of for me.”

“I have absolutely no interest in getting involved in official Alliance business.”

“That much is clear,” she smirked. “Fortunately, I never handle anything particularly official, and if this were technically Alliance business, I would have asked Shaw.”

Tess raised an eyebrow. Valeera liked to talk about her neutrality often, that she was only loosely aligned with the alliance because she was friends with the king. Still, this felt like crossing a line just slightly. “Still. Not interested.”

The elf smiled, locked eyes with Tess. “Okay, I’m not going to bluff. I’ve been in the ceiling for a while. Reconsider.”

“Blackmail? Really? A woman of your talents?” Tess replied dryly.

“Hey, you said it, princess, not me.” Valeera pressed a small package, carefully wrapped in paper into Tess’ arms. “Drop this off for me, will you?”

“Where?”

Valeera rolled her eyes. “I’m not just gonna leave the address on it. You’re smart. Figure it out.” 

“Terrific.” Tess stomach roiled when she thought about managing the prince, committing what could potentially be treason for Valeera, and whatever was going on with her and Lorna for the next two weeks. At least, she thought to herself, Lorna had some experience with treason.


End file.
